RAW: Russia’s Moskva cruiser, S-400s arrive in Latakia

Russian missile cruiser and flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva, arrived on Thursday to the shore of Latakia for air defence of the region, after a Russian fighter jet was shot down by NATO member Turkey on Tuesday.

Russia’s Moskva cruiser is an 11,500-tonne and 186-meter warship equipped with S-300 long-range air defence system.

Also on Thursday, one of Russia’s most advanced air defence systems, the S-400 Triumf, was deployed to Hmeymim Air Base in Syria on Thursday, after being carried by plane to the military facilities.

The Triumf system, also called the SA-21 Growler, is capable of detecting and destroying aircraft at a range of 400 kilometres. The surface-to-air missile defence system can be loaded with at least three types of missiles, which can track 300 targets simultaneously.

It joins the Moskva missile cruiser, which has already been deployed just off the coast of Latakia to provide additional air cover.